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David Perry

Tips on getting coverage in your favorite trade paper

This week we talk about how to get editorial coverage in Furniture|Today. There are a significant number of industry players who are largely clueless on this topic. Only a handful of key executives appear to appreciate and understand the power of a consistent profile in the editorial pages of Furniture|Today.

So, here's a quick seminar on public relations. If you are a bedding executive, clip this column and save it.

Tip No. 1: Tell me what you are doing. Yes, this is very basic, but you'd be surprised how many producers, suppliers and retailers never say a word to me about their business. Some may want to "fly below the radar." I understand that. But I'm not a mind reader. If you want me to know what you are doing, you have to tell me.

Tip No. 2: Send me a press release. In it, you should tell me the five "w's" of your story: who, what, when, where and why. (Note: Sometimes we add an "h" to that equation, for how.) I have hundreds of companies to follow. You need to deliver your news to me in a straightforward fashion. The better job you do, the more likely your news will make it into the paper. I simply don't have time to gather every bit of news myself.

Tip No. 3: Develop a public relations strategy. All sorts of items are newsworthy: new product lines, new merchandising programs, new senior executives, new sales representatives, awards, human interest stories, etc. Release news to me on a regular basis and you'll receive regular coverage.

Tip No. 4: Put someone in charge of public relations. If you are the CEO, you are in an excellent position to tell me your story, but you have a lot of other things on your plate. You can assign the job of preparing press releases to someone else in your organization.

Tip No. 5: Consider hiring a public relations agency. If you can't get press releases done in-house, then go outside. A number of leading bedding producers have PR firms, which generally know what they're doing. If they don't, I'll tell you.

Tip No. 6: No whining, please. Complaining about the coverage someone else gets is not a good idea and doesn't help you get better coverage. The other company probably understands my editorial needs better than you do. You have to make it happen for your company.

Tip No. 7: Call me. I'll be happy to work with you on your news release.

I'm sure it hasn't escaped your attention that there's a great deal of bedding coverage in Furniture|Today. Join the bedding news parade today.

You'll be glad you did.